Feeder

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Versione del 16 dic 2018 alle 00:18 di Piccardi (discussione | contributi) (Creata pagina con "Other solutions were produced for the same type of problem, such as the creation of appropriate side pockets next to the channel (as in the ''Spoon feed'' of Waterman)...")
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A Pelikan 400 feeder

Although it is probably the least important part in the aesthetic aspect of a pen, the feeder (also called conductor or feed) is actually the heart of the functioning of a fountain pen, and on a technical level it is probably the most important component of it. It is in fact the feeder that creates the delicate balance of forces that allows the correct passage of the ink from the tank to the nib that deposits it on the sheet of paper, and a fountain pen writes well because its feeder does its job correctly.

The importance of this component is even more evident in the fact that the most important invention of Lewis Edson Waterman, the one that leads many to consider him (with some exaggeration) the father of the fountain pen, is related to the construction of the feeder. Of course, well before concentrating on materials and loading systems at the end of the 1800s, manufacturers were competing (and investing their research efforts) on this very element, which characterized their pens (think, for example, of Parker Lucky Curve or Waterman Spoon feed) since a well-functioning feeder was then what could lead to success or failure.

And although later on the importance of the feed, at least in the promotional material, has decreased at the expense of other parts and technical characteristics (and especially compared to the stylistic ones), it is still one of the essential parts of the functioning of a fountain pen, taken up in several cases by the manufacturers (as for the Eversharp Magic Feed or the Lamy tintomatic).

Apart from the still very primitive constructions present until the first years of 1900, which still provided for some companies (such as Swan and Onoto) the presence of the so-called overfeed the canonical shape of the feed as an element placed under the nib has been developing quite quickly.

Initially it was simply a cylinder of hard rubber suitably bevelled in the front part placed under the nib to leave space for writing, equipped on the upper part of the "channel" supply through which the ink arrives from the tank to the nib. The first variations occurred precisely in the construction of the channel, and in the addition of further grooves inside to facilitate the passage of the ink by capillarity. Through the same channel the air that replaces the ink that comes out of the pen tank flows (even if later possible alternative paths have been foreseen).

The Spoon feed blueprint

The first changes to the simple bevelled cylindrical shape occurred to solve the problem (then very pressing, but which still occurs today) to allow the blocking of the flow of ink when the pen is not used to prevent leakage in the cap. For this reason different solutions were adopted, with as many patents as the famous Lucky Curve of Parker, in which the rear part of the feeder was bent until it touched the wall of the tank, thus favoring (at least according to the claims of the project) the reabsorption of the ink.

Other solutions were produced for the same type of problem, such as the creation of appropriate side pockets next to the channel (as in the Spoon feed of Waterman). Over the years, the development of mechanisms has continued, either with the presence of engravings in more or less jagged shapes of the external part (as in the Spear-head' of Parker), or with the realization of fins, bags, engravings, channels and other configurations, to allow any excess ink to accumulate properly in the various folds, and avoid dangerous accumulations on the nib, in particular to compensate for pressure changes due to air in the tank, a problem that has become even more significant with the emergence of air travel.

Related Patents=

  • Brevetto n° US-214795, del 1879-04-29, richiesto il 1879-02-06, di William W. Stewart, Swan. Proto-stilografica.
  • Brevetto n° US-353399, del 1886-11-30, richiesto il 1886-08-18, di Francis C. Brown, David W. Beaumel, Caw's. Alimentatore e sezione.
  • Brevetto n° GB-190823642, del 1909-09-02, richiesto il 1908-11-05, di Duncan Cameron, Albert Edward Wright, Cameron. Alimentatore.
  • Brevetto n° US-1080176, del 1913-12-02, richiesto il 1912-01-09, di Richard H. Stevens, Waterman. Meccanismo di compensazione.
  • Brevetto n° US-1347901, del 1920-07-27, richiesto il 1919-09-08, di William T. Fitzpatrick, Welty. Alimentatore.

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